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Plea deals possible in Coffey hazing case

State Attorney Jack Campbell said he is “in negotiations” with the nine defendants charged with the hazing death of Florida State fraternity pledge Andrew Coffey, but sources close to the case say there are potential plea deals in the works.

Plea deals possible in Coffey hazing case

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State Attorney Jack Campbell said he is “in negotiations” with the nine defendants charged with the hazing death of Florida State fraternity pledge Andrew Coffey, but sources close to the case say there are potential plea deals in the works.(Photo: Ashley White/Democrat)Buy Photo

State Attorney Jack Campbell said he is “in negotiations” with the nine defendants charged in the hazing death of Florida State fraternity pledge Andrew Coffey, some of which could result in jail time.

Campbell declined to go into specifics about any possible deals that could be on the table.

“Like most cases, there are plea negotiations and this one is no different,” Campbell said. “I want to try the case in a courtroom. I don’t want to do it through the media.”

But in an email sent to attorneys Monday and obtained first by the Tallahassee Democrat through a public records request, Campbell laid out the parameters of the offers, which expire April 1.

They also expire if attorneys file motions in the case, according to the email.

Under the terms of one agreement, the nine defendants could plead guilty to two counts of misdemeanor hazing with adjudication withheld, spend 60 days in the Leon County jail followed by two years of probation, be required to testify or publicly speak about Coffey’s death at every forum requested, take a hazing awareness class, be prohibited from alcohol with random testing, and provide a written or verbal apology to the Coffey family.

The second option is the same except defendants would be able to plead guilty to one count of felony hazing and complete 60 days in the Leon County Sheriff’s Jail Workcamp instead of serving jail time.

“I think this allows your clients to both accept responsibility and avoid lifelong consequences,” Campbell wrote. “Ultimately, the plea also serves the greater goal of changing a culture that condones hazing and binge drinking.”

The nine men charged in connection with the hazing death of Andrew Coffey. (Top from left to right) Kyle Bauer, Brett Birmingham, Christopher Hamlin. (Middle from left to right) Luke Klutz. Clayton Muehlstein, Anthony Oppenheimer. (Bottom from left to right) Anthony Petagine, Conner Ravelo, John Ray.(Photo: LCSO, WCSO)

Campbell filed the charges in January after the case was reviewed by two grand juries.

Court records detailing the charges say fraternity pledges were coerced into drinking during the group’s annual “Big Brother Night,” a party at a home on Buena Vista Drive, where they would be introduced to their sponsors and given bottles of liquor to drink.

Coffey, a 20-year-old from Pompano Beach, died after downing a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 bourbon, which investigators say was given to him by his Big Brother Ravelo and was bought with a fake ID.

Defense Attorney Fred Conrad said the plea deals were not unusual except for the speed in which they were set forward in the Coffey case.

Conrad said he, and other attorneys representing the men, have not yet gotten all of the evidence against their clients which makes it hard to make decisions about whether to accept a plea.

“It’s correct that we don’t have all of the info in order to make an informed decision,” said Conrad who is representing Birmingham. “But I expect that Mr. Campbell will be providing that to us prior to April 1 which is the deadline to decide whether to accept or reject it.”

Criminal defense attorney Ethan Way, who represents Muehlstein, said it was too soon to make any decision.

“I think it is extremely premature to discuss any kind of resolution while there remains outstanding discovery issues,” Way said in an email.

Last month, Coffey’s family filed a civil lawsuit against Pi Kappa Phi’s national office, the FSU chapter’s advisers and the nine men facing criminal charges. The 15-count lawsuit alleges years of hazing and abuse at the FSU Pi Kappa Phi chapter perpetuated by the actions or inaction of the national offices in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.